Climate Change Solution Alternatives – Peatlands

Under threat, understudied, and underappreciated, tropical peatlands are now recognized as a key component in the global carbon climate balance and a safe harbor for some of the world’s most precious and endangered species.

Found abundant in Southeast Asia (Indonesia and Malaysia), Africa (the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo), South America (Peru), and Central America and the Caribbean.

Some estimates suggest global peatlands even hold twice as much carbon as all forests on earth and possibly four times as much as found in the atmosphere.

Tropical peatlands offer a safe haven for at-risk species. In Southeast Asia, the orangutan, Sumatran tiger, storm’s stork, false gharial crocodile, Sunda clouded leopards, and the rhinoceros live in peatlands.

Shedding light on these crucial ecosystems and the vital benefits they provide is more important than ever if we are to leave the world with intact ecosystems and the foundations of a sustainable future.

This is an excerpt from the CEMEX Nature Series Book “Nature’s Solutions to Climate Change” (2019)